ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — certain
  4. rush — hurry
  5. shower — to wash
  6. dip — to sink
  7. key — in music
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bound — obliged
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com